CONNECT Dayton Hyde and Alan Day (IRAM and Mustang Meadows)

This is an excerpt frorm TIME MAGAZINE Jan. 1990, Melanie Stephens This article should be read BEFORE  the next entry because it explains how the Alan Day Mustang Meadows became to be named as such, even though it was a Cattle operation.

Their high-pitched whinnies roll across the plains like a tumbleweed- scatteri ng wind. At dusk one of them rears and paws the air, casting a silhouette that is the very image of freedom. These are mustangs, the legendary wild horses of the American West. Two decades ago, mustangs were headed for extinction. Now, at Mustang Meadows Ranch, a 32,000-acre spread near St. Francis, S. Dak., 1,500 of them have found sanctuary and a managed independence that may help assure their survival.

Under BLM, the mustangs have recovered: 42,000 horses now run free on the range. But their numbers have greatly surpassed the ability of the land to support them. To ease the overpopulation, BLM in 1976 inaugurated a national Adopt-a-Horse program, under which 90,000 wild horses have been sold to private owners. But the mustangs taken off the range annually include many that are too old, crippled, ugly or mean to make good pets. Until two years ago, thousands of unadoptable mustangs were crowded into dusty feeding pens in Nebraska, Nevada and Texas at a cost to taxpayers of $13 million a year.
I am not editing these numbers even though they should be challenged. 17 000 in 1971 might be realistic because they were running out of horses. 42 000 in 1990 would have required a census which never happened.With the adoption program inaugurated in 1976, this being 1990, 90 000 horses sold in 14 years equals average of 6500 horses a year.

Enter Dayton Hyde, an Oregon rancher with a reputation for unorthodox management and a deep interest in conservation. "In my travels I kept going by feedlots seeing these poor creatures cooped up," says Hyde, 64. "I thought, That's no way to treat a wild horse. My dream was to get these horses out of the feedlots and running free again."

In 1988 Hyde founded the nonprofit Institute for Range and the American Mustang in order to create sanctuaries -- retirement homes of sorts -- where unadoptable wild horses could once again roam freely. He convinced BLM that with foundation and public funds he could establish a self-sustaining sanctuary within three years. IRAM's first project was a 12,600-acre sanctuary in the Black Hills of South Dakota that opened last year. Tourists pay $15 to view 300 mustangs running on high plateaus of ponderosa pine. The project makes Hyde smile. "The horses are finally getting over their depression," he says. "They got so bored in the feedlots that they didn't know how to run anymore."
in 2011 there are 600 horses (approx. 300 mustangs) on that acreage, the tour price has increased to 50 dollars and the tours have been elaborately refined.

Hyde's ambition went beyond his successes at the Black Hills sanctuary. He next sought to establish a larger range that could accommodate thousands of horses. But since IRAM lacked both money and land, Hyde needed the help of a private investor. He turned out to be Alan Day, an owner of cattle ranches in Arizona and Nebraska. Day, says Hyde, "knew how to manage grass and was not afraid of the immensity of my dream."

Day also knew a good business deal when he saw it. "America's gone fat and sloppy, and for someone who's willing to go out there and kick ass, there's a lot of opportunity," he says. In the case of Mustang Meadows, Day and his two partners anticipated earning a $50,000 annual profit from a huge tract they assembled by buying 22,000 acres for $1.4 million and leasing 10,000 adjoining acres from the Sioux Indians. The money would come from IRAM's contract with BLM and the state of South Dakota, which pays the sanctuary an 85 cents-per- day subsidy per horse.
This sentence is not clear. Does the state pay 85 cents per horse per day in addition to the BLM bid between 1.20- and 1.70 per horse per day. And do these contracts have to be competitively re-bid each year, with the risk of having to loose and relocate 1500 horses? (There is mention of breach of contract in the article about Alan Day - next post) 

The first mustangs arrived in August 1988. After being cooped up in corrals anywhere from one month to several years, they needed to readjust psychologically to the comparative freedom of the ranch's open pastures. By gradually approaching the wary mustangs in corrals, Day and his wranglers taught them to become comfortable around people. "They have had so much negative training before they get here, they think they are going to suffer if they see a man on horseback," says Day. "We want to show them that we are not the enemy." Out of the corrals, the mustangs are rotated to one of twelve pastures, then moved periodically to allow the grass to regrow. "I'm a grass specialist," Day explains. "Though some people have romantic notions of the operation, I have to look at it as cash flow. It has to make financial sense." This year potential profits evaporated in the worst drought in memory.
There is also some confusion here: If the Mustang Meadows happened AFTER the IRAM, the first horses could not have arrived in 1988, since that is when the BLACK HILLS SANCTUARY started.

Some critics say that being the brother of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor may have helped Day get the BLM contract. But, scoffs Day, "Sandra doesn't even drive 56 m.p.h. She didn't even know about this until it was a done deal." A more serious complaint about Day's techniques has been lodged by environmentalists who believe that wild horses ought to be just that -- wild. "They're nothing but a big herd of domestic horses," says Donna Ewing, president of the Illinois-based Hooved Animal Humane Society and a former colleague of Hyde's. Mustang Meadows, Ewing charges, is "another ploy by BLM to eliminate the wild horse. Hyde and Day are cattlemen, and who has been the biggest enemy of horses?" According to Ewing, "The horses are harassed. There is a lack of rock to keep their hooves trimmed naturally, so they have to round them up and trim their hooves twice a year. The climate is severe, and there is no natural shelter."
Later on he emphasizes that this was not about mustangs but about cattle and that the horses were more of an aside, a gesture.

Day scoffs at such criticism. Mustang-management techniques like "herd- behavior modification," he claims, are essential. "Nobody in the world," he boasts, "has ever managed wild horses on this scale."

Day has made a believer out of John Boyles, chief of the Wild Horses and Burros division of BLM. "The situation ((at Mustang Meadows)) is about as close to natural as you can get," says Boyles. "As long as Congress says we can't destroy healthy excess animals, the sanctuary gives us the least-cost alternative to keeping the horses we can't place in private homes." BLM has awarded a contract for a second sanctuary in Oklahoma.
NOTE:"As long as congress says we can't destroy healthy animals, the sanctuary gives us the least-cost alternative..." Shortly thereafter Day reports the BLM directives to change to round up and shoot old and  weak horses. (Then later the BURNS amendment allowed for killing of healthy animals also). The second sanctuary in Oklahoma was the Hughes ranch. Now these are not called sanctuaries anylonger but LONG TERM HOLDING FACILITIES. They are paid by taxes but on private ranches - not accountable and not accessible.

Such sanctuaries could eventually save taxpayers $2.5 million a year. 

One asks where does the saving come in? Well, the Short Term Holding facilites like FEEDLOTS cost nearly 4-5 dollars a day per horse, while a Long Term Holding facility gets between 1.20 and 1.70 per horse per day.

But they will never satisfy everyone with an opinion about wild horses. Animal- rights activists and Old West buffs decry any fettering of the mustangs' ability to roam the plains. Ranchers object that free-running herds pose threats to pastures and water that cattle need. "Most people feel there should be some place in the U.S. for wild horses because they're so important in our past," says Boyles. "But we recognize the range is only going to support so many.

The two basic questions are, How many should we have? (actually the first question is: HOW MANY do we have. There has been no proper census. Put the money into technology and research that can count)

 What should we do with the excess animals?"Mange the horses on the range with fertility control,  predator reintroduction(or at least stop predator extermination on HMA's), restore the balance in designated WILD HORSE MANAGEMENT (HMA's) areas between cattle and horses (a thriving ecological balance cannot be achieved as long as cattle outnumber horses 1000 to 1) and return horses from horses from Holding into their designated HMA's when possible. In addition improve capture procedures to remove extreme trauma and consequently improve adoption and training perspectives.  Until these questions are answered, sanctuaries can provide mustangs a haven somewhere between unbridled liberty and galloping into extinction.(That is still the question)

Alan Day, brother of Sandra Day O'Connor (Chief Justice) Mustang Meadows Ranch, South Dakota

Another example of an early BLM financed Sanctuary 1987-89. (Long Term holding was not a term at the time) The Rex ranch in the Nebraska Sandhills was purchased in 1987 and the Mustang Meadows Ranch near Frances, SD in 1989. In addition to cattle he ran 1500 BLM (U-brands: unadoptable or whatever was deemed so at the time). The BLM awarded him the "Lifetime Steward of the land" title.

"...he watched so many ranchers grow old and bitter over government policies that shackled their lives and he decided to quit trying to reconcile ranching with bureaucracy..."


In the third paragraph below (from 2002) he describes how the directions changed 3 years in a row, from sorting out the old and weak and feeding them extra Hay to sorting out the old and weak and shooting them. He argued for the BLM to come and shoot them - they insisted it was part of his contract and so he did. The third year they had them sorted out and implant microchips, which were never again read or recorded...

"...Day had believed that this example would help reconcile government policies with the ranchers knowledge, experience, and feel for land and livestock. He had trusted his government to keep its word and renew its permits every year..."

..Like most ranchers he agreed to housing the horses more out of sympathy for the horses than out of financial interests. But it became a difficult praeposition for him...

...He says it was always the hardest thing for him to shoot the horses...wonder how it feels to the Drummonds and the Hughes when orders to kill are issued.? ( How good of a shot does one have to be to kill a horse from a distance since these horses don't halter or lead?)

In this article he does not speak about what happened to the Horses after these three years. Supposedly he lost the contract with the BLM (short notice) and the horses were moved to another facility.
"He thought he had escaped hindrance by government policies, but then he ran into new examples of government supervision that did not work.." (this must have been in the late 80's early 90's, the same time the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary was established...and also the Hughes LTH in Oklahoma.) Where did these horses disappear to? A feedlot, were they all shot ? -- At one point he speaks of having 1500 mustangs? Surprising for sure that if these horses were so rogue, he could just lead them out and shoot them while the others would look on...

THE MYTH OF JOHNNY APPLESEED...and what is a myth...

"His lifestyle and preferences were completely opposite the norms of frontier life. He was a vegetarian. He preferred to sleep outdoors and avoided towns and settlements. He thought it cruel to ride a horse, chop down a tree, or kill a rattlesnake. The stories go on. The settlers viewed these attitudes as preposterous and outrageous but amusing as hell.

He must have been a sight. He was of medium height, sinewy and large-boned, with dark hair down to his shoulders and bright blue eyes. He wore a coffee sack with holes for his arms and legs. Tradition has it that he had a tin kettle that served as both hat and cooking pot, but Price says that's not authenticated. Contrary to Walt Disney's 1948 cartoon, he carried a woodsman's usual equipment, including rifle, tomahawk, knife, etc. 

The myth of Johnny Appleseed grew partly from the sense that Chapman's relationship with nature transcended the man-vs.-nature ethos prevailing in his time. Going barefoot symbolized that. Shoes were part of civilized life, a protective layer between your feet and the earth, for which Chapman had no need: His feet were in touch with another realm, a spiritual realm. In contrast to the typical pioneer, who saw the wilderness as something to be conquered, he was in harmony with nature.

His kindness to animals was well known, even notorious, and often contrary to frontier custom. He often used his profits to purchase lame horses to save them from slaughter. He once freed a wolf he found snared in a trap, nursing it to health and then keeping it as a pet. There is an endless stream of amusing stories about Johnny Appleseed showing mercy to animals such as rattlesnakes or yellow-jackets."

(google and Wikipedia)

Mt. AYR- Tingley IOWA, an example of one of the smaller and newer contract facilities

This facility was granted a contract in 2010. As we know the contracts are rebid every year, that means in some cases horses actually have to be moved to a new holding facility in case standards are not met or the contractor is being underbid by a competitor. That will explain indiscriminate movement of horses which will make tracking difficult if not impossible. I think at this time not many of these smaller holding facilities exist, but the small business incentive program directly encourages small ranching operations to bid on contracts. EVEN if they are not the owners but just the leasees of the land. I currently know of only one facility that actually lost the contract after one year and had to move the horses. In this case negligence was not a factor but the competitive bidding just undercut the facilites price.

The facility is listed in the BLM chart under Mt. Ayr with 400 some horses, the actual address is:

Doyle and Connie Richards, 2514 160th str. Tingley, IA 50863

From the map it is not conclusive where the horses are - no corrals or sheds.

CATOOSE and two of the first Sanctuary-holding facilities...

CATOOSE- Prairie National Wild Horse Refuge????? It is 1988. Somehow at this time the BLM has the need (since the Burns Amendment does not exist yet) to get the horses out of the system into PRIVATE holding facilities that can accomodate large numbers of generic horses. This was the same time that Dayton Hyde established the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary...

BURNS AMENDMENT explained...horses can be sold to slaughter...

Some of the comments on my blog refer to the fact that the horses in LTH facilities look good and are safe. I have been to a round-up (Little Bookclikffs) to several short term holding facilities incl. a Prison program (canon City and Elm Creek), I have ridden and worked with volunteers on HMA's Wild Horse Management areas (amongst the wild horses) I own and ride 6 of them, I have trained a BLM mustang in 90 days for the Mustang Makeover. I have long experienced and worked with the First Mustang Sanctuary, the spanish Mustang Registry founding place in Oshoto....All these horses looked good and were safe. But they were not where they belonged...42 000 horses in HOLDING has only 2 answers. Either slaughter or some review of the management on the range...
Here is an article about the BURNS AMENDMENT, which since 2005 makes it legal for the BLM to sell horses indiscriminitely to ANYBODY at a sale barn..
.American Wild Horse Preservation Campaign- Resources

LTH: Robert and John F. HUGHES , Bartlesville OK:

This is the oldest LTH facility established in 1989 just a year after Dayton Hyde started the Black Hills Wild Sanctuary. 2 different roads were followed.
Even though this is the oldest and one of the largest LTH facilities, It is NOT listed in the current BLM LTH facilites overview (?)
Here we have the same situation. Original contract holder in their 80's, third generation cattle ranchers,  1500  horses since 1989 on 13 000 acres approx, and now an additional 2700 horses on leased land. He expects his government check to amount to around 2 million this year (safe money)
2 000 000 : 4200=476 dollars per head per year.
Geldings only - approx 7% annual death rate (this should be much larger on the range or, here we have horses leaving some other way)

The good old boys are really creaming up. If all that money including the contractor roundup pilot and processing facilities would be used for smart and caring research and on the range management plus an inspired adoption program with horses that had less trauma, plus invigorated tourism program like Dayton Hyde's Wild Horse Sanctuary, this would be a different picture.
As shown here it is just a wicked circle, where the horses are removed from the range to make room for cattle drilling and mining interests, who then get their subsidies and in turn house the horses at again their profit around revolving type facilities not open to the public.
www.lvrj.com:

PAPER CLIPPINGS ooooo LEAVE NO TRACE....

Add caption

These are paper clippings out of these tempting mail order catalogues. They make up my Christmas tree for this year, and when it all said and done, they will double in a beautiful collage...

WILD HORSE VIGIL for the 40th anniversary of the 1971 ROAMING WILD HORSE AND BURRO PROTECTION ACT.

WILD AND FREE by Mike Friehauf...

....or as Laura Leigh will emphasize: The Mustang is the only animal that has an entire ACT OF CONGRESS devoted to its protection. A national and international GATHERING of wild Horse advocates. Here is our Ft. Collins Colorado Group in FRONT OF PORT AUTHORITY>>>>

Janet Carabello (CANDY) Leslie Mc.Cutchen, Gabriele Moritz, Angie Friehauf (foreground) Jessica Lau(MOON), (SHAMAN)and Patricia Burge.

WIKIPEDIA - A sluggish try at a dynamic updating platform...

Yesterday I tried my luck at WIKIPEDIA, becoming and editor is easy, editing is another story. The info provided is mostly from government sources and other conservative and slanted newspaper articles. Brought some light on the fact, that we need published materials to be referenced. Then we can enter the World Encyclopedia and actually partake in the dynamic solution process. Hoping for others with more skill in the area of cataloging to get involved and work out the logistics. In the meantime I will try to start a discussion on the WIKIPEDIA link, that is less restricted.

WHERE ARE ALL THE PRETTY HORSES...where are our horses.

Additional facilities are showing up. With the new BLM small business incentive, hundreds of those could exist in the near future...and no public scrutiny - no access.

WHY IS HUGHES LTH in Bartlesville, the oldest facility since 1988 NOT on here....????????Where is the real list..?
We need to consider how the BLM Holding Facilities are influenced by above agendas: Here is BLM Long-Term Holding Facilities from June 2008. Below shows: Facility Location, Year(s) animals held there ,Capacity and far right figure denotes Wild Equines held: 
Bartlesville Oklahoma 1989 2,300 2,066 
Catoosa Oklahoma 2001 2,000 2,042 
Teterville East Kansas 2001 2,200 1,913 
Teterville West Kansas 2002 2,200 2,531 
Foraker Oklahoma 2003 2,500 2,507 
Pawhuska Oklahoma 2003–2004 3,400 3,646 
Grenola Kansas 2004 2,200 2,269 
Hulah Oklahoma 2004 2,200 2,203 
Herd Oklahoma 2007 1,000 1,042 
Whitehorse South Dakota 2007 1,100 1,169 
Strohm Oklahoma 2008 1,000 713 
Total Capacity 22,100 *** Total Horses Held 22,101

BLM's updated figures show 38,500 in holding. Given the number of captured equines, and capacity in STH and LTH combined, outside of dying from natural causes, WHERE ARE THEY?

Comparisons sometimes help shed light...Numbers I have found:
In 1971 there were approx. 26 000 horses left on the range (counting was even more difficult then)
Between 1972 and 2007 a total of 260 000 horses were captured through round-ups and removed.
Since the beginning of the program approx. 221 700 horses were adopted (nearly 40 years, which is an average of 5500-6000 horses per year (that number dropped off drastically since 2008, so that in 2010 only 700 horses were adopted - this could also reflect the increased difficulty for individuals and orgs to "adopt" horses for slaughter. 2900 were sold straight SA. That leaves approx.35 500 which should be the horses in holding...If one applies and annual death rate of 7% over 40 years...anybody can continue...

LONG TERM HOLDING: OKLAHOMA: FO(u)RAKER, PAwHUSKA, HOMINY, GRAY HORSE EAST AND WEST...BARTLESVILLE, OSAGE

Today we look at LTH in OKLAHOMA: Similar to Kansas this particular section also very close to the Kansas Border - the facility is on or associated with one of the oldest and largest cattle empires of the state. DRUMMOND RANCH and ASSOCIATES:
There are several addresses for different ranches and offices of DRUMMOND, I chose the one north of Pawhuska: 492 County Rd. 4495, Pawhuska, OK. 74056 and came up with an indistinct location:

courtesy of GOOGLE maps

Please note that this area is directly adjacent to the Kansas Border, later on I will show an image actually linking the holding facilities in Oklahoma and Kansas (as mentioned before mirroring some of the southwest to northeast movement of the wild horse areas in the Rockies).
Next note that there are (pending and depending) 10 LTH facilities in Oklahoma with approx. 18 000 horses (net economy abot 11 million annual). And of those 6 are in this picture:
Bartlesville (2072 horses), Foraker (2484 horses), Gray Horse East/West (1826/610horses), Hominy (984), Pawhuska (3518) for a total of 11 494 horses. In the following article you can read the history of the DRUMMOND FAMILY EMPIRE and then follow LEE DRUMMOND's BLOG into her backyard herd of 300 BLM mares...

Excerpts from the OKLAHOMA HISTORICAL SOCIETY  .....

The family of Ree Drummond lives near Pawhuska, I could find addresses but they did not search on google property so I could not identify an actual ranch. Ree Drummond is married to Ladd Drummond and she has a popular BLOG: I Invite you to visit it and then show you an excerpt: To visit go to: www.thepioneerwoman.com and type: MUSTANGS into the upper right  searchbar. She will speak about how the mares came to the ranch and describe in some detail the daily operation...There are numerous comments from avid readers that are ocassionally answered by "Michelle"(?). Considering that the neighboring counties hold another 10,700 horses, this is a peculiar oddity.

I think the last entry was December 4th, 2011.

The OSAGE INDIAN reservation seems to be around all of these counties. In one of the posts REE mentions looking at old family pictures and finding....

...and this is actually quite macabre. She elaborates on how she cherishes learning in cleaning the attic that mustangs were on this land at the turn of the century...then she dissolves and admits, that these were today's roundup photos sepiad and made to look old ...the sorry story is that indeed there were the CHOCTAW horses in these and other areas of OKLAHOMA and their story, just like the story of the mares removed from their lands is a SAD ONE ( I would like to have GILBERT JONES (BRYANT RICKMAN) and BOB BRISLAWN retell...and maybe even add some of the Trail of Tears. One other thing about this land that Kitty UiBreaslain (Spanish Mustang Registry) said, after moving the horses from the Palouse country in Idaho and Washington to the SOUTH (in this case!) of Oklahoma,  was:
"Within one year we lost near all 200 horses...in Oklahoma even the dew is poisenous...and one should never move the mustangs from west to east"....

Did Ree find any of these photos in the attic also???  COULD THEY BE FROM THE PAST???????

SEPIALIZE me and make me a picture of the LAST CENTURY!!!!!!!!!PLEASE

http-::ppjg.wordpress.com:2011:08:22:you-can-now-see-our-wild-horses-in-long-term-holding:

(Article By Debbie Coffey, from August 2011)

Family History:

and a couple of paragraphs later to the end of the article...from 1997 (this is 5 years ago).............................

If this is a representative cut of the current LONG TERM HOLDING FACILITIES and gives some insight into the affiliations with the BLM, it is not surprising that for whatever reason other wealthy oil, mining and cattle enterprizes would be interested involved and competitve in this arena. Not for the benefit of the horses but for the decision-making position on THE PUBLIC LANDS and in WASHINGTON. Lobbies for RANCHING, DRILLING AND MINING and also RENEWABLE ENERGY LIKE WINDMILLS and SOLAR energy are competing for an EAR in Washington or is it the other way around that Washington is competing for an EAR with these conglomerates. These gazette articles fail to mention that indeed "THE GRASS THE RAIN AND THE PEOPLE AND IT'S WILD HORSES MAKE THIS COUNTRY THE BEST...." (Drummond is estimated to beor have been at one point the 76th wealthiest individual in the country, so where do Madeleine Pickens and Ted Turner come in???)

One more image to close this post:

I googled all LTH locations in Kansas and Oklahoma and lined them up as if to travel between all of them. They are: Cassoday, Hutchinson, Grenola, Teterville East/West (Kansas) and Bartlesville, Catoose, Foraker, Gray Horse East/West, Hominy, Hulah, Pawhuska, Strohm and Pauls Valley (OKlahoma). Then I got distance and direction. The result is the last map. Please realize this might not be the shortest distance between all of them, but it still shows,  that approx. 27 000 horses (2/3rds) are in an area not more than 600 miles across in 15 closely connected and related facilities, closed to the public under contract with the BLM.

INDIAN LAKES - BROKEN ARROW - FALLON NEVADA (PVC overflow)

This location is not easily discernable, so I am not sure whether the address is correct. It just helps me to make sense out of the everchanging contracts and notifications...

Laura Leigh (Wild Horse education)

And here one more link to the "Weekly Updated" Deaths form on the BLM website in regardo to Broken Arrow which is accounting for 100's of deaths a year.

 This is one example of a SHORT TERM/PROCESSING FACILITY, still horses spend up to 2 years here and probably longer in other facilities as such. A limited introduction of CANON CITY Prison Training facility in COLORADO will follow.

BLM COLLABORATION WITH Training organizations: STEVE MANTLE ranch

One of the venues for a mustang that was rounded up from the range, processed in HOLDING and then designated for Training is to be shipped to either one of the national contracted prison facilities or to one of the training contractors. One of those is the STEVE MANTLE Ranch in Wheatland.
The address is 615 South Antelope Creek Rd. Wheatland, Wyoming 82201 Tel: 307 322 5799

If you look at the holding facility chart you see that the Mantle ranch has between 130 and 160 at any given time. The BLM initiated the training program with the Wyoming Honor Farm in 1990, but at that time, horses that were trained, were not available to the public through adoption. The first competitive auction to the public was in 1996 and the first training contract between the BLM and MANTLE was in 1998.

Background info: SOMBRERO povides all dude horses to the Colorado Front Range and is next to the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse area west of Maybell, Colorado. Annual 600 horse drive through town of Maybell.

Several members of the family are engaged in Training and competition and since 2011, they Mantle Ranch is also instrumental in the WILD HORSE DAYS (event in DOUGLAS, Wyoming) which is a cooperation between the BLM, Wyoming Honor Farm and Mantle Ranch. The event is similar to the Extreme Mustang Makeover by the Mustang Heritage Foundation and features both in Hand and under saddle training, demonstrations and workshops, and individual performances by Mustang Trainers. The event concludes with an adoption.
Steve Mantle stated in an interview that the age of the horses offered for adoption has drastically dropped from average 6 to between 2-4 years. Due to the difficulties and challenges of training, the average mustang adopter is not prepared for the work required to socialize the older horse.
 You can find the horses that have been trained at the ranch on the BLM Internet adoption site or by calling direct.

And here is one video
youtu.be:idEhluDEUlk

There are options and opportunities for individuals and organizations to get involved in the resolution of the Mustang question. Needless to say, that all efforts are worth it, even though well organized and orchestrated efforts will yield the most reward.

SAND WASH BASIN WILD HORSES CHART AND CENSUS SPREAD SHEET

Here on a positive note the results of citizen and advocate engagement. This is one of OUR 4 (5) COLORADO WILD HORSE HERDS: THE SAND WASH BASIN HERD west of Maybell, Colorado. The last roundup was in 2008 and then began an ambitious fertility control program by the HSUS(Humane Society). Also the USGS (US Geological Survey) became involved at one point having assigned some budget for a census of this wild horse group...The study by the HSUS is still forthcoming (5years) and the USGS has not been able to continue the flights so the data is incomplete.

Meanwhile a group of dedicated and multi-talented advocates that combines artists, photographers, writers, filmmakers, all individuals when coming together were able to paint a realistic and correct picture of this herd. Nancy Roberts, who visits and monitors this herd since 2009 and Aleta Wagner who has used her talents to catalogue and chart have come up with this 2011 CLOSING STATEMENT: 

Visit: www.sandwashbasinwildhorses.blogspot.com

or go to FB: SandWash Basin Wild Horses

...."For my friends who don't access the Sand Wash Basin Horse Club page, here are the latest statistics calculated by myself and Nancy Roberts:

Current count of the Sand Wash Basin Wild Mustangs indicates:

94 Stallions

97 Mares

41 Foals 2011  (approx. 14% reproduction rate - BLM claims over 20)

30 Foals 2010 (still with their band)

34 Foals 2009 (still with their band - (fillies in this group could actually be bred and still in the family)

296 TOTAL NUMBER OF HORSES. The research does not reflect mortality rates, which could be between 4-10 % and would bring the net growth number of the HERD to between 4 and 10%.....

With a size of 160 000acres in the Sand Wash Basin HMA, this allots approx. 540.5 acres per horse.

courtesy Aleta Wagner (with Nancy Roberts)

41 foals 2011, 30 foals 2010, 34 foals 2009 (courtesy Aleta Wagner)

These are the most important graphics for the general public. And it is important that we discern the effects of fertility control, sex ratio manipulation and viability minimums.
So far this herd has been claimed by the citizens on our public lands and to conclude with a photo rather than a statistic - here is PICASSO from the Sand Wash Basin Wild Horse Herd in COLORADO

Photograph by Nancy Roberts

PVC PALOMINO VALLEY -

JUMBO MEGALOPOLIS OF FEDERAL FERAL HORSES....
Fernley, Fallon, Palomino Valley, Carson City...all belong to a very large processing complex in Nevada. This state has the largest number of wild horses and HMA's Horse Management areas. It is also the most controversial location, with Ranchers and Advocates being the most engaged. So when Thousands of horses were rounded up during the winter of 2009/2010 and many of them died in the process, many questions arose: The traps for the capture are often on PRIVATE land - not visible to the public. Because of reckless Helicopter operations, the humane observers are not allowed close to the trapsite anylonger (even though the contractor's employees are still exposed to the danger). The number of horses is heavily disputed, since no proper count by the BLM has ever occured (the BLM quotes involvement of the USGS but survey flights occur only once or twice a year, with insufficient funding leading to a simultaneous double-count) Why is the horse to cow ratio somewhere around 1000 cows per horse on the designated wild horse areas. Why has the allotted land designated in 1971 through an act of congress shrunk from 53million acres to about 30some million acres. Why continue to roundup and pay for expensive Long Term Holding, when the horses could and should be managed ON THE RANGE?
WHERE IS THE MONEY TRAIL? There is only money made when the roundup starts and it does not benefit the horses. The contractors (out-house roundups) are third generation WILD HORSE catchers, their operation has shifted from Horses to 4-Wheelers to Helicopters over the last thirtysome years (the first Federal Roundup was conducted around 1978, I believe). The contractor is paid by the head, with no concern for the benefit of the animal. The horses then go to processing, sorting, branding and castration, followed by shipment to either training, adoption or OTHER. "Other" here denotes the MYSTERY around SALE AUTHORITY HORSES, who have lost their government protection due to age or unadoptability. These horses, even though legally for sale to the lowest bidder and marked as such, still are officially not sold to SLAUGHTERHOUSES and get shipped to LONG TERM HOLDING in the eastern grasslands instead, where again, they generate tax payer provided revenue to the CONTRACTORS of the BLM, who, as it seems are the same Corporations and Individuals interested in their removal from the Ranges in the FIRST PLACE....

So if we follow our MUSTANG from the RANGE somewhere in the Nevada Mountains through his/her capture into the Short Term Holding and Processing Facility into either Palomino Valley or Fallon, we will then accompany the individual to several adoption or training events (BLM adoptions/ Extreme Mustang Makeover/ possible rescue by Sanctuaries) and since deemed UNADOPTABLE the path is cleared for LONG TERM HOLDING.....(NExt)

LONG TERM HOLDING - Shadow 7, Vestring, and ...Buford...

In my efforts to both learn about LONG TERM HOLDING and the connection to THE PUBLIC LANDS upon which the American Mustangs roam, I have come to search and compare the past and current lists of HOLDING FACILITIES. (at this point I will be ignoring the Short Term Holding-even though that sometimes encompasses time periods of up to 6 years, and I will also ignore Processing and transfer Facilities like PALOMINO VALLEY(?) and ELM CREEK).

The BLM lists the latest data of HOLDING FACILITIES on their website: blm.gov (under quick facts)
Please take your time to look at the individual data and then the Grand TOTAL of 41, 245 (with a total capacity of 49,674) horses in Holding by SEPTEMBER 2011. (The letters after the name of the facility describe whether the facility holds Geldings(G) or Mares (M).
Compare these numbers to a previous statistic released in January 2011:

Now take some time to look over the numbers. The two charts are not completely comparable since they vary in criteria. One lists actual number of horses and burros vs capacity, the other lists the facilities numbers and then adds the ones in ONE STATE. (It appears that ARIZONA, Kingman has ONE horse in holding and yet a total of 4...This must have been a budget decision....)
In the upper chart you have the short and long term holding facilities seperated, in the bottom chart short term holding has an asterisk*. It is not easy to compare these charts, even though they are from the same agency and from the same year 2011. The first chart does not seem to have any order of listing.
The next question is: WHAT qualifies as LONG TERM HOLDING versus SHORT TERM HOLDING. ( I still have to find the answer)

It seemed plausible that facilities like the several PRISONS in the country (I believe these are the prison programs: Canon City,CO. Hutchinson, KS. Carson City, NV. Rock Springs, WY and at least one facility in Oklahoma) would be considered SHORT TERM holding since they only provide feedlot-type conditions. But that is not the case. They are considered long-term holding. Some animals spend their entire life there from birth to death (?)
So, besides Long term holding there is also PASTURE LONG TERM HOLDING and that is where KANSAS and OKLAHOMA come in.
Nearly HALF (18,323) of all the horses in Captivity are in facilities located in OKLAHOMA boosting the local economy with nearly $30,000.- dollars a day or approx. 11 Million a year. Next is Kansas with
approx. 9000 horses (adding 9000x1.30x365=4 million 270 500 dollars to the state income).

Still looking for the answer between long and short term holding - I decided to PICK JUST ONE facility and take a closer look: I thought I would take TETERVILLE EAST/WEST in the FLING HILLS in KANSAS, because I had seen a video from 2009 that depicted the beauty and peacefulness of the life of the mustangs (now in either mare or gelding only herds).

.....there will be a continuation of the same text in another BID example lower in this blog.

I also hoped to find some answers to my question whether I (and some friends) could possibly become LONG TERM HOLDING facility owners. Since the FEDERAL STIMULUS PACKAGE included a small business incentive program for ranchers and landowners to convert their pasture land into WILD HORSE holding with competitive bids solicited by the BLM for the better part of this year, I was planning to lease or buy property in the Midwest and house approx 500 (Sale Authority) horses at a competitive bid of 1.35-1.70 per head per day. The income (min. $ 246,375.00) would have to cover the upkeep of fence, provision of water and 26 weeks of the year  supplemental hay-feeding at a pasture-yield tested to approx.7 acres per horse. (7x500=3500acres). We would also require tools and vehicles and employ a small part-time staff for "MINIMUM INVASIVE" management during weaning season, for processing periods and census. (These horses are counted every week). With the mortality rate of approx. 4-7% we would require facilties to both euthanize (by firearm) and dispose of the animals. In preparation for shipping. BLM reserves the right to ship horses to Training facilities (Prison and Makeover), adoption events (weanlings) and other ( 6 years and older) chutes and corrals would be available. (So much for a Long Term  Holding Template, Brogan)
.
THE  MATH got too complicated and my head started smoking and after consulting with some friends I decided to try to talk to an OWNER OF A LONG TERM HOLDING FACILITY. During the Extreme Mustang Makeover in Ft. Collins, in which I trained a mustang (Coppersmith Tag#900) in 90 days for the competition, I had met a sympathetic couple from IOWA, that had just been granted a 5 year long term holding contract (with annual renewal) for approx. 400 horses. (I think it is the only facility in IOWA). They had given their contact number to my friend MELODY PEREZ, who paints these beautiful horses and had a booth at the competition. Unfortunately several calls and emails remained unanswered.
Then I took a gander with another number that my friend Patricia Burge had provided and called what I thought was CASSODAY HOLDING facility in KANSAS in the FLINT HILLS (one of my especially loved areas after reading the novel by DEBORAH VOGTS "SNOW MELTS IN SPRING", which plays amongst the WILD HORSES OF THE FLINT HILLS).

The number I dialed had the name Robert Buford and was answered by his administrative assistant with the words:" Hello,  ZENITH DRILLING....

Information taken by Googling ZENITH DRILLING

In the conversation with Mr. Robert C. Buford(78, there is also C Robert Buford and Daniel S. Buford) . I learned, that he had bid for a BLM Long Term contract after talking to a friend who had always taken horses from the Military Bases that had encouraged him.  QUESTION HERE: When did the BLM install Long Term Holding Facilities for the FIRST Time?)  I think their first application for long term holding was in 2001 and at this point there are 4000 horses on 36 000 acres. He has to feed additional hay 26 weeks out of the year and his land has been tested to yield 7acres/per horse.
His facility has corrals and chutes with hydraulic gates and his oldest horse is 34 years old. 30% of the mares that come, are in foal. They get weaned at 7 months and then shipped to Hutchinson Prison for some training and adoption. The mortality amongst the horses fluctuates between 4 -7% and the horses get euthanized if they are injured without chance for recovery. It was confusing to me and still is to sort out the connection between the different facilities Shadow7 being his, then Vestring ranch (Mr. Vestring died in 2010 and), the Craig Miller Ranch.... and as you can see from the above image, the woven web of individual involvements is complex. I am also unclear about the count of the horses and the actual location of the pastures. Some are mentioned in and around Cassoday, some are close to Eureka... Nonetheless the conversation did reveal, that there is no money in LONG TERM HOLDING and that the contractors usually act out of sympathy for the horse and with gratitude to the BLM.

These excerpts sometimes overlap...

Looking at this article (2002) this is probably the inception of LONG TERM HOLDING FACILITIES in general. I actually do not know what happened with the horses before 2000. And the prices per head per day were $ 1.20 at the time. It says the inventory increases 18% every year.

Here is an example of a CONTRACT BLM for LONG TERM HOLDING KANSAS 2006

.....To be continued...